Excavating earth from a dig site using an excavation vehicle

ABSTRACT

This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous excavation vehicle that is capable of navigating through a dig site and carrying an excavation routine using a system of sensors physically mounted to the excavation vehicle. The sensors collect one or more of spatial, imaging, measurement, and location data representing the status of the excavation vehicle and its surrounding environment. Based on the collected data, the excavation vehicle executes instructions to perform an excavation routine by excavating earth from a hole using an excavation tool positioned at a single location within the site. The excavation vehicle is also able to carry out numerous other tasks, such as checking the volume of excavated earth in an excavation tool, navigating the excavation vehicle over a distance while continuously excavating earth from a below surface depth, and preparing a digital terrain model of the site as part of a process for creating the excavation routine.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/727,559, filed Apr. 22, 2022, now U.S. Pat. No. ______ whichapplication is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/447,971,filed Jun. 21, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,332,910, which applicationclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/703,773 filedon Jul. 26, 2018, all of which are hereby incorporated in their entiretyby reference.

BACKGROUND Field of Art

The disclosure relates generally to method for excavating earth from adig site, and more specifically to excavating earth using a vehicleoperated by a sensor assembly configured to control the vehicle.

Description of the Related Art

Vehicles such as backhoes, loaders, and excavators, generallycategorized as excavation vehicles, are used to excavate earth fromlocations. Currently, operation of these excavation vehicles is veryexpensive as each vehicle requires a manual operator be available andpresent during the entire excavation. Further complicating the field,there is an insufficient labor force skilled enough to meet the demandfor operating these vehicles. Because these vehicles must be operatedmanually, excavation can only be performed during the day, extending theduration of excavation projects and further increasing overall costs.The dependence of current excavation vehicles on manual operatorsincreases the risk of human error during excavations and reduce thequality of work done at the site.

SUMMARY

Described is an autonomous or semi-autonomous excavation system thatunifies an excavation vehicle with a sensor system for excavating earthfrom a site. The excavation system controls and navigates an excavationvehicle through an excavation routine of a site. The excavation systemuses a combination of sensors integrated into the excavation vehicle torecord the positions and orientations of the various components of theexcavation vehicle and/or the conditions of the surrounding earth. Datarecorded by the sensors may be aggregated or processed in various ways,for example, to determine and control the actuation of the vehicle'scontrols, to generate representations of the current state of the site,to perform measurements and generate analyses based on thosemeasurements, and perform other tasks described herein.

According to an embodiment, a method for excavating earth at a siteincludes accessing a target tool path from a computer memorycommunicatively coupled to an excavation vehicle. A target tool pathcomprises a set of coordinates within a coordinate space of the sitecomprising a volume of earth to be dug and a target depth measurementassociated with each coordinate of the set. The communicatively coupledcomputer executes a set of instructions for the excavation vehicle toperform. The excavation vehicle navigates a tool physically coupled tothe excavation vehicle to a starting location representing a set ofcoordinates on the target tool path. The excavation vehicle positions aleading point of the tool at a depth below the ground surface of thestarting location and navigates the tool over the target tool path. Theexcavation vehicle records the actual depth of the earth at eachcoordinate of the target tool path with a sensor mounted on theexcavation vehicle.

The described excavation system reduces the cost of excavating a site byreducing the need for manual labor, by obtaining actionable informationthat helps design and increase the efficiency of the excavation project,and by improving the overall quality and precision of the project bycarrying out consistent, repeatable actions in accordance withexcavation plans.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an excavation system for excavating earth, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 2A illustrates the example placement of sensors for a tracktrencher, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2B illustrates the example placement of sensors for a skid-steerloader, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a high-level block diagram illustrating an example of acomputing device used in an on-unit computer, off-unit computer, and/ordatabase server, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the system architecture for controlling anexcavation vehicle, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the system architecture for the preparationmodule, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example coordinate space in which an excavationvehicle carries out an excavation routine in a dig site, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 7A is a diagram of the system architecture for the earth removalmodule, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 7B is a flow chart describing the process for removing earth from asite to form a trench, according to an embodiment.

The figures depict various embodiments of the presented invention forpurposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed withoutdeparting from the principles described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Excavation System

FIG. 1 shows an excavation system 100 for excavating earth autonomouslyor semi-autonomously from a dig site using a suite of one or moresensors 170 mounted on an excavation vehicle 115 to record datadescribing the state of the excavation vehicle 115 and the excavatedsite. As examples, FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate the example placement ofsensors for a compact track loader and an excavator, respectively,according to example embodiments. FIGS. 1-2B are discussed together inthe following section for clarity.

The excavation system 100 includes a set of components physicallycoupled to the excavation vehicle 115. These include a sensor assembly110, the excavation vehicle 115 itself, a digital or analog electricalcontroller 150, and an on-unit computer 120 a. The sensor assembly 110includes one or more of any of the following types of sensors:measurement sensors 125, spatial sensors 130, imaging sensors 135, andposition sensors 145.

Each of these components will be discussed further below in theremaining sub-sections of FIG. 1 . Although FIG. 1 illustrates only asingle instance of most of the components of the excavation system 100,in practice more than one of each component may be present, andadditional or fewer components may be used different than thosedescribed herein.

I.A. Excavation Vehicle

The excavation vehicle 115 is an item of heavy equipment designed toexcavate earth from a hole within a dig site. Excavation vehicles 115are typically large and capable of moving large volumes of earth at asingle time, particularly relative to what an individual human can moveby hand. Generally, excavation vehicles 115 excavate earth by scrapingor digging earth from beneath the ground surface. Examples of excavationvehicles 115 within the scope of this description include, but are notlimited to loaders such as backhoe loaders, track loaders, wheelloaders, skid steer loaders, scrapers, graders, bulldozers, compactors,excavators, mini-excavators, trenchers, skip loaders.

Among other components, excavation vehicles 115 generally include achassis 205, a drive system 210, an excavation tool 175, an engine (notshown), an on-board sensor assembly 110, and a controller 150. Thechassis 205 is the frame upon on which all other components arephysically mounted. The drive system 210 gives the excavation vehicle115 mobility through the excavation site. The excavation tool 175includes not only the instrument collecting dirt, such as a bucket orshovel, but also any articulated elements for positioning the instrumentfor the collection, measurement, and dumping of dirt. For example, in anexcavator or loader the excavation tool refers not only to the bucketbut also the multi-element arm that adjusts the position and orientationof the tool.

The engine powers both the drive system 210 and the excavation tool 175.The engine may be an internal combustion engine, or an alternative powersource, such as an electric motor or battery. In many excavationvehicles 115, the engine powers the drive system 210 and the excavationtool commonly through a single hydraulic system, however other means ofactuation may also be used. A common property of hydraulic systems usedwithin excavation vehicles 115 is that the hydraulic capacity of thevehicle 115 is shared between the drive system 210 and the excavationtool. In some embodiments, the instructions and control logic for theexcavation vehicle 115 to operate autonomously and semi-autonomouslyincludes instructions relating to determinations about how and underwhat circumstances to allocate the hydraulic capacity of the hydraulicsystem.

I.B. Sensor Assembly

As introduced above, the sensor assembly 110 includes a combination ofone or more of: measurement sensors 125, spatial sensors 130, imagingsensors 135, and position sensors 145. The sensor assembly 110 isconfigured to collect data related to the excavation vehicle 115 andenvironmental data surrounding the excavation vehicle 115. Thecontroller 150 is configured to receive the data from the assembly 110and carry out the instructions of the excavation routine provided by thecomputers 120 based on the recorded data. This includes control thedrive system 210 to move the position of the tool based on theenvironmental data, a location of the excavation vehicle 115, and theexcavation routine.

Sensors 170 are either removably mounted to the excavation vehicle 115without impeding the operation of the excavation vehicle 115, or thesensor is an integrated component that is a native part of theexcavation vehicle 115 as made available by its manufacturer. Eachsensor transmits the data in real-time or as soon as a networkconnection is achieved, automatically without input from the excavationvehicle 115 or a human operator. Data recorded by the sensors 170 isused by the controller 150 and/or on-unit computer 120 a for analysisof, generation of and carrying out of excavation routines, among othertasks.

Position sensors 145 provide a position of the excavation vehicle 115.This may be a localized position within a dig site, or a global positionwith respect to latitude/longitude, or some other external referencesystem. In one embodiment, a position sensor is a global positioningsystem interfacing with a static local ground-based GPS node mounted tothe excavation vehicle 115 to output a position of the excavationvehicle 115.

Spatial sensors 130 output a three-dimensional map in the form of athree-dimensional point cloud representing distances, for examplebetween one meter and fifty meters between the spatial sensors 130 andthe ground surface or any objects within the field of view of thespatial sensor 130, in some cases per rotation of the spatial sensor130. In one embodiment, spatial sensors 130 include a set of lightemitters (e.g., Infrared (IR)) configured to project structured lightinto a field near the excavation vehicle 115, a set of detectors (e.g.,IR cameras), and a processor configured to transform data received bythe infrared detectors into a point cloud representation of thethree-dimensional volume captured by the detectors as measured bystructured light reflected by the environment. In one embodiment, thespatial sensor 130 is a LIDAR sensor having a scan cycle that sweepsthrough an angular range capturing some or all of the volume of spacesurrounding the excavation vehicle 115. Other types of spatial sensors130 may be used, including time-of-flight sensors, ultrasonic sensors,and radar sensors.

Imaging sensors 135 capture still or moving-video representations of theground surface, objects, and environment surrounding the excavationvehicle 115. Examples imaging sensors 135 include, but are not limitedto, stereo RGB cameras, structure from motion cameras, and monocular RGBcameras. In one embodiment, each camera can output a video feedcontaining a sequence of digital photographic images at a rate of 20 Hz.In one embodiment, multiple imaging sensors 135 are mounted such thateach imaging sensor captures some portion of the entire 360 degreeangular range around the vehicle. For example, front, rear, leftlateral, and right lateral imaging sensors may be mounted to capture theentire angular range around the excavation vehicle 115.

Measurement sensors 125 generally measure properties of the ambientenvironment, or properties of the excavation vehicle 115 itself. Theseproperties may include tool position/orientation, relative articulationof the various joints of the arm supporting the tool, vehicle 115 speed,ambient temperature, hydraulic pressure (either relative to capacity orabsolute) including how much hydraulic capacity is being used by thedrive system 210 and the excavation tool separately. A variety ofpossible measurement sensors 125 may be used, including hydraulicpressure sensors, linear encoders, radial encoders, inertial measurementunit sensors, incline sensors, accelerometers, strain gauges,gyroscopes, and string encoders.

There are a number of different ways for the sensor assembly 110generally and the individual sensors specifically to be constructedand/or mounted to the excavation vehicle 115. This will also depend inpart on the construction of the excavation vehicle 115. Using the tracktrencher of FIG. 2A as an example, the representations with diagonalcrosshatching represent the example placements of a set of measurementsensors 125, the representation with diamond crosshatching representexample placements of a set of spatial sensors 130, and therepresentations with grid crosshatching represent example placements ofa set of position sensors 145. Using the skid-steer loader of FIG. 2B asanother example, diagonal crosshatchings represent measurement sensors125, diamond crosshatchings represent spatial sensors 130, and gridcrosshatchings represent position sensors 145. Additionally verticalcrosshatchings near the drive system 210 represent example placementsfor a linear encoder 210 and horizontal crosshatchings near the roofrepresent imaging sensors 135, for example RGB cameras.

Generally, individual sensors as well as the sensor assembly 110 itselfrange in complexity from simplistic measurement devices that outputanalog or electrical systems electrically coupled to a network bus orother communicative network, to more complicated devices which includetheir own onboard computer processors, memory, and the communicationsadapters (similar to on-unit computer 120 a). Regardless ofconstruction, the sensors and/or sensor assembly together function torecord, store, and report information to the computers 120. Any givensensor may record or the sensor assembly may append to recorded data atime stamps for when data was recorded.

The sensor assembly 110 may include its own network adapter (not shown)that communicates with the computers 120 either through either a wiredor wireless connection. For wireless connections, the network adaptermay be a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) wireless transmitter, infrared, or802.11 based connection. For wired connection, a wide variety ofcommunications standards and related architecture may be used, includingEthernet, a Controller Area Network (CAN) Bus, or similar.

In the case of a BTLE connection, After the sensor assembly 110 andon-unit computer 120 a have been paired with each other using a BLTEpasskey, the sensor assembly 110 automatically synchronizes andcommunicates information relating to the excavation of a site to theon-site computer 120 a. If the sensor assembly 110 has not been pairedwith the on-unit computer 120 prior to the excavation of a site, theinformation is stored locally until such a pairing occurs. Upon pairing,the sensor assembly 110 communicates any stored data to the on-sitecomputer 120 a.

The sensor assembly 110 may be configured to communicate received datato any one of the controller 150 of the excavation vehicle 115, theon-unit computer 120 a, as well as the off-unit computer 120 b. Forexample, if the network adapter of the sensor assembly 110 is configuredto communicate via a wireless standard such as 802.11 or LTE, theadapter may exchange data with a wireless access point such as awireless router, which may in turn communicate with the off-unitcomputer 120 b and also on-unit computer 120 a. This type oftransmission may be redundant, but it can help ensure that recorded dataarrives at the off-unit computer 120 b for consumption and decisionmaking by a manual operator, while also providing the data to theon-unit computer 120 a for autonomous or semi-autonomous decision makingin the carrying out of the excavation plan.

I.C. On-Unit Computer

Data collected by the sensors 170 is communicated to the on-unitcomputer 120 a to assist in the design or carrying out of an excavationroutine. Generally, excavation routines are sets of computer programinstructions that, when executed control the various controllable inputsof the excavation vehicle 115 to carry out an excavation-related task.The controllable input of the excavation vehicle 115 may include thejoystick controlling the drive system 210 and excavation tool and anydirectly-controllable articulable elements, or some controller 150associated input to those controllable elements, such as an analog orelectrical circuit that responds to joystick inputs.

Generally, excavation-related tasks and excavation routines are broadlydefined to include any task that can be feasibly carried out by anexcavation routine. Examples include, but are not limited to: dig sitepreparation routines, excavation routines, fill estimate routines,volume check routines, dump routines, wall cutback routines,backfill/compaction routines. Examples of these routines are describedfurther below. In addition to instructions, excavation routines includedata characterizing the site and the amount and locations of earth to beexcavated. Examples of such data include, but are not limited to, adigital file, sensor data, a digital terrain model, and one or moretarget tool paths. Examples of such data are further described below.

The excavation vehicle 115 is designed to carry out the set ofinstructions of an excavation routine either entirely autonomously orsemi-autonomously. Here, semi-autonomous refers to an excavation vehicle115 that not only responds to the instructions but also to a manualoperator. Manual operators of the excavation vehicle 115 may be monitorthe excavation routine from inside of the excavation vehicle using theon-unit computer 120 a or remotely using an off-unit computer 120 b fromoutside of the excavation vehicle, on-site, or off-site. Manualoperation may take the form of manual input to the joystick, forexample. Sensor data is received by the on-unit computer 120 a andassists in the carrying out of those instructions, for example bymodifying exactly what inputs are provided to the controller 150 inorder to achieve the instructions to be accomplished as part of theexcavation routine.

The on-unit computer 120 a may also exchange information with theoff-unit computer 120 b and/or other excavation vehicles (not shown)connected through network 105. For example, an excavation vehicle 115may communicate data recorded by one excavation vehicle 115 to a fleetof additional excavation vehicle 115 s that may be used at the samesite. Similarly, through the network 105, the computers 120 may deliverdata regarding a specific site to a central location from which thefleet of excavation vehicle 115 s are stored. This may involve theexcavation vehicle 115 exchanging data with the off-unit computer, whichin turn can initiate a process to generate the set of instructions forexcavating the earth and to deliver the instructions to anotherexcavation vehicle 115. Similarly, the excavation vehicle 115 may alsoreceive data sent by other sensor assemblies 110 of other excavationvehicles 115 as communicated between computers 120 over network 105.

The on-unit computer 120 a may also process the data received from thesensor assembly 110. Processing generally takes sensor data that in a“raw” format may not be directly usable, and converts into a form thatuseful for another type of processing. For example, the on unit computer120 a may fuse data from the various sensors into a real-time scan ofthe ground surface of the site around the excavation vehicle 115. Thismay comprise fusing the point clouds of various spatial sensors 130, thestitching of images from multiple imaging sensors 135, and theregistration of images and point clouds relative to each other orrelative to data regarding an external reference frame as provided byposition sensors 145 or other data. Processing may also include upsampling, down sampling, interpolation, filtering, smoothing, or otherrelated techniques.

I.D. Off-Unit Computer

The off-unit computer 120 b includes a software architecture forsupporting access and use of the excavation system 100 by many differentexcavation vehicles 115 through network 105, and thus at a high levelcan be generally characterized as a cloud-based system. Any operationsor processing performed by the on-unit computer 120 a may also beperformed similarly by the off-unit computer 120 b.

In some instances, the operation of the excavation vehicle 115 ismonitored by a human operator. Human operators, when necessary, may haltor override the automated excavation process and manually operate theexcavation vehicle 115 in response to observations made regarding thefeatures or the properties of the site. Monitoring by a human operatormay include remote oversight of the whole excavation routine or aportion of it. Human operation of the excavation vehicle 115 may alsoinclude manual or remote control of the joysticks of the excavationvehicle 115 for portions of the excavation routine (i.e., preparationroutine, excavation routine, etc.). Additionally, when appropriate,human operators may override all or a part of the set of instructionsand/or excavation routine carried out by the on-unit computer 120 a.

I.E. General Computer Structure

The on-unit 120 a and off-unit 120 b computers may be generic or specialpurpose computers. A simplified example of the components of an examplecomputer according to one embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 3 .

FIG. 3 is a high-level block diagram illustrating physical components ofan example off-unit computer 120 b from FIG. 1 , according to oneembodiment. Illustrated is a chipset 305 coupled to at least oneprocessor 310. Coupled to the chipset 305 is volatile memory 315, anetwork adapter 320, an input/output (I/O) device(s) 325, and a storagedevice 330 representing a non-volatile memory. In one implementation,the functionality of the chipset 305 is provided by a memory controller335 and an I/O controller 340. In another embodiment, the memory 315 iscoupled directly to the processor 310 instead of the chipset 305. Insome embodiments, memory 315 includes high-speed random access memory(RAM), such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or other random access solid statememory devices.

The storage device 330 is any non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium, such as a hard drive, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM),DVD, or a solid-state memory device. The memory 315 holds instructionsand data used by the processor 310. The I/O controller 340 is coupled toreceive input from the machine controller 150 and the sensor assembly110, as described in FIG. 1 , and displays data using the I/O devices345. The I/O device 345 may be a touch input surface (capacitive orotherwise), a mouse, track ball, or other type of pointing device, akeyboard, or another form of input device. The network adapter 320couples the off-unit computer 120 b to the network 105.

As is known in the art, a computer 120 can have different and/or othercomponents than those shown in FIG. 2 . In addition, the computer 120can lack certain illustrated components. In one embodiment, a computer120 acting as server may lack a dedicated I/O device 345. Moreover, thestorage device 330 can be local and/or remote from the computer 120(such as embodied within a storage area network (SAN)), and, in oneembodiment, the storage device 330 is not a CD-ROM device or a DVDdevice.

Generally, the exact physical components used in the on-unit 120 a andoff-unit 120 b computers will vary. For example, the on-unit computer120 a will be communicatively coupled to the controller 150 and sensorassembly 110 differently than the off-unit computer 120 b.

Typically the off-unit computer 120 b will be a server class system thatuses powerful processors, large memory, and faster network componentscompared to the on-unit computer 120 a, however this is not necessarilythe case. Such a server computer typically has large secondary storage,for example, using a RAID (redundant array of independent disks) arrayand/or by establishing a relationship with an independent contentdelivery network (CDN) contracted to store, exchange and transmit datasuch as the asthma notifications contemplated above. Additionally, thecomputing system includes an operating system, for example, a UNIXoperating system, LINUX operating system, or a WINDOWS operating system.The operating system manages the hardware and software resources of theoff-unit computer 120 b and also provides various services, for example,process management, input/output of data, management of peripheraldevices, and so on. The operating system provides various functions formanaging files stored on a device, for example, creating a new file,moving or copying files, transferring files to a remote system, and soon.

As is known in the art, the computer 120 is adapted to execute computerprogram modules for providing functionality described herein. A modulecan be implemented in hardware, firmware, and/or software. In oneembodiment, program modules are stored on the storage device 330, loadedinto the memory 315, and executed by the processor 310.

I.F. Network

The network 105 represents the various wired and wireless communicationpathways between the computers 120, the sensor assembly 110, and theexcavation vehicle 115. Network 105 uses standard Internetcommunications technologies and/or protocols. Thus, the network 105 caninclude links using technologies such as Ethernet, IEEE 802.11,integrated services digital network (ISDN), asynchronous transfer mode(ATM), etc. Similarly, the networking protocols used on the network 150can include the transmission control protocol/Internet protocol(TCP/IP), the hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), the simple mailtransfer protocol (SMTP), the file transfer protocol (FTP), etc. Thedata exchanged over the network 105F can be represented usingtechnologies and/or formats including the hypertext markup language(HTML), the extensible markup language (XML), etc. In addition, all orsome links can be encrypted using conventional encryption technologiessuch as the secure sockets layer (SSL), Secure HTTP (HTTPS) and/orvirtual private networks (VPNs). In another embodiment, the entities canuse custom and/or dedicated data communications technologies instead of,or in addition to, the ones described above.

II. Excavation Vehicle Operation Overview

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the system architecture for the control logic 400of an excavation vehicle 115, according to an embodiment. The controllogic 400 is implemented by s software within the on-unit computer 120 aand is executed by providing inputs to the controller 150 to control thecontrol inputs of the vehicle 115 such as the joystick. The systemarchitecture of the control logic 400 comprises a navigation module 410,a preparation module 420, and an earth removal module 430. In otherembodiments, the control logic 400 may include more or fewer modules.Functionality indicated as being performed by a particular module may beperformed by other modules instead.

The navigation module 410 is responsible for providing mapping andorientation instructions to the drivetrain 210 of the excavation vehicle115, allowing the vehicle to navigation through the coordinate space ofthe site and along the target tool paths within the hole. Thepreparation module 420 creates and/or converts the digital filedescribing the target state of the site into a set of target tool pathsand the dump site as will be further described in reference to FIG. 5 .The earth removal module 430 executes instructions to perform excavationroutines in order to physically excavate earth from a location withinthe site as will be further described in reference to FIG. 7A-7B.

III. Dig Site Preparation Routine

Prior to the excavation vehicle 115 executing the set of instructions tonavigate through the site and excavate earth from a hole, the excavationvehicle 115 generates the set of instructions based on a known targetstate of the site and contextual data describing the initial state ofthe site. FIG. 5 is a diagram of the system architecture for thepreparation module 420 of an on-site or off-unit computer 120, accordingto an embodiment. The preparation module 420 generates a digital terrainmodel detailing one or more plurality of target tool paths which can befollowed by the excavation vehicle 115. The system architecture of thepreparation module 420 comprises a digital file store 510, a sensor datastore 520, a digital mapping module 540, and a target tool pathgenerator 550. In other embodiments, the preparation module 420 mayinclude more or fewer modules. Functionality indicated as beingperformed by a particular module may be performed by other modulesinstead. Some of the modules of the preparation module 410 may be storedin the control logic 500.

The digital file store 510 maintains one or more digital files, accessedfrom a remote database. In some instances, the controller 150 may accessthese digital files from an off-unit computer 120 b and subsequentlystore them in the digital file store 510. Digital files may berepresented as image files describing the geographic layout of the siteas a function of location within the coordinate space of the site, withdifferent images representing a hole, dump pile, an entry ramp, etc.Geographic locations in the coordinate space may be represented as oneor more two or three dimensional points. The digital file may alsoinclude data describing how the excavation vehicle 115 ought to interactwith each location discussed in the digital file. The digital filesstored in the digital file store 610 may also include a digital filerepresenting a target state of the site once all excavation has beencompleted. Digital files may be constructed using known computerprograms and file types, such as a Computer Aided Design (CAD) file or aBuilding Information Modeling (BIM) file. For example, the hole may becharacterized by a set of target volume dimensions which should beachieved upon the conclusion of the excavation routine. At a boundary ofthe hole, the digital file may also include a ramp. Additionally, thelocation of the dump pile may be extracted from the digital file orreceived manually from a human operator.

A representation of the initial state of the site is generated usingsensor 170 data, stored within the sensor data store 520. As thenavigation module 410 maneuvers the excavation vehicle 115 through thesite, sensors 170 gather contextual information on the site which isaggregated into a representation of the current state of the site. Morespecifically, spatial sensors 130 record spatial data in the form ofpoint cloud representations, imaging sensors 135 gather imaging data,and depth sensors 145 gather data describing relative locations. Moregenerally, the sensor data store 520 stores contextual informationdescribing the current state of the site which refers to the physicallandscape of the site and the physical properties of the soil within thesite. The navigation module 410 navigates within the geospatialboundaries defined by the digital file to record contextual informationdescribing the current state of the site.

When recording data via one or more spatial sensors, the spatial sensors130 record one or more photographic images of various portions of thesite and stitches the recorded images into one or more point clouds ofdata representing the portions of the site to generate a representationof a current physical state of the site. Additionally, for each of therecorded images, the position and orientation of features within thesite are recorded and translated into the point cloud representationswith respect to the coordinate space of the digital file. In alternativeinstances, the sensor assembly 110 uses an imaging sensor 135 to recordthe contextual information as photographic images of portions of thesite and, for each of those images, stores the associated positions andorientations of the relevant features within the portion of the site.Additionally, for each of the recorded images, the position andorientation of features within the site are recorded and translated intothe point cloud representations with respect to the coordinate space ofthe digital file. In alternative instances, the sensor assembly 110 usesan imaging sensor 135 to record the contextual information asphotographic images of portions of the site and, for each of thoseimages, stores the associated positions and orientations of the relevantfeatures within the portion of the site. In another implementation, theexcavation vehicle 115 includes sensors and a software assembly thatgenerates a digital terrain model of the site using simultaneouslocalization and mapping (SLAM).

Using the generated representation of a current physical state of thesite generated based on the sensor data and the representation of thetarget state of the site, the digital mapping module 530 generates adigital terrain model of the site. By aligning in the coordinate spaceof the site, the target state of the site with the initial state of thesite, differences between the two representations can be identified bythe computer 120. For example, the computer 120 may determine a volumeof earth to be excavated to form the planned hole from the digital file.In one embodiment, the two representations (the digital file and thecontextual data) are aligned (or register) using the known locations offiducials and other locations within the site common to bothrepresentations. Position data from a position sensor 145 such as a GPSmay also be used to perform the alignment. Algorithms, such as IterativeClosest Point (ICP) may be used to align the two representations. Theboundaries of the sites provided by both representation may also be usedto perform the alignment. In one embodiment, for every point pair in theactual/target representations, if the difference in elevation (e.g.,Z-axis relative to the ground plane) is greater than a threshold, it ismultiplied by the resolution of the representation to calculate a voxelvolume, and is then summed together. This can performed at multiplepoints to determine how the two representations should be adjustedrelative to each other along an axis to align them.

In some implementations, the computers 120 use the digital terrain modelto determine the difference in volume between the two representationswhich translates into the volume of earth to be excavated from the hole.Incorporating all the considerations made above, the physical layout ofthe site, the volume of earth to be excavated, and the creation ofcutbacks and slope backs, the computer 120 generates 685 one or moretarget tool paths.

Using the digital terrain model, the target tool path generator 540generates one or more target tool paths for the excavation vehicle 115to move a tool over in order execute a part of the excavation routine,for example excavating a volume of earth, filling a volume of earth, ornavigating the excavation vehicle 115 within the site. Tool pathsprovide geographical steps and corresponding coordinates for theexcavation vehicle 115 and/or excavation tool to traverse within thesite. When the site is represented in the digital terrain model as acoordinate space, as described above, a target tool path include a setof coordinates within the coordinate space. A target tool path mayfurther represents a measure of volume relative to the volume of theplanned hole. For example, if a hole is 4″ wide, 3″ long, and 2″ deep, asingle target toolpath includes coordinates within the 12″ area of thecoordinate space and, at each coordinate, places the tool at a depth of2″ in order to excavate the hole using a single target tool path. Targettool paths may describe a variety of shapes representing a variety ofexcavation techniques, for example substantially rectangular pathways intwo dimensions, substantially triangular pathways in two dimensions,hyperrectangular pathways in three dimensions, hyperrectangular pathwaysin three dimensions, elliptic pathways in two dimensions, hyperellipticpathways in three dimensions, or curved lines along the plane of theground surface.

For holes of greater volumes or requiring a graded excavation, multipletarget tool paths may be implemented at different offsets from thefinish tool path. For example, if three target tool paths are requiredto excavate a 6″ deep hole, the first may be executed at a depth of 3″,the second at a depth 2″, and the third at a depth of 1″. As a result, atarget tool path may represent only a fraction of the volume ofexcavated earth. For example, the last tool path used at the conclusionof the excavation of the hole may be referred to as a finish tool path,which digs minimal to no volume and which is used merely to even thesurface of the bottom of the dug hole. While moving through the finishtool path, the tool excavates less earth from the hole than in previoustool paths by adjusting the depth of the leading edge or the angle ofthe tool beneath the ground surface. To conclude the excavation routine,the excavation vehicle 115 adjusts a non-leading edge of the tool andreduces the speed of the drive.

For holes of greater volumes or requiring a graded excavation, multipletool paths may be implemented at different offsets from the finish toolpath. For example, if three tool paths are required to excavate a 6″deep hole, the first may be executed at a depth of 3″, the second at adepth 2″, and the third at a depth of 1″. As a result, a tool path mayrepresent only a fraction of the volume of excavated earth. In oneembodiment, the number of tool paths may be calculated by dividing thetarget depth of the hole by the maximum depth that each tool path iscapable of In some instances, the maximum depth that each tool path iscapable of is also defined by the dimensions of the tool 175 attached tothe excavation vehicle 115. In other embodiments, the tool paths may bemanually generated using the off-unit computer 120 b.

Additionally, tool paths may not describe the shape of the hole inthree-dimensions, instead removing the depth measurement to only specifya two-dimensional pathway or two-dimensional plane in the three or twodimensional coordinate system. In such instances, the depth instructionsfor how deep to dig with a tool path may be provided for separately inthe set of instructions.

Tool paths are defined based on several factors including, but notlimited to, the composition of the soil, the properties of the toolbeing used to excavate the hole, the properties of the drive system 210moving the tool, and the properties of the excavation vehicle 115.Example properties of the excavation tool 175 and excavation vehicle 115include the size of the tool, the weight of the excavation tool, and theforce exerted on the excavation tool 175 in contact with the groundsurface of the site.

When executed in reverse or in alternative sequences, the processesdescribed above and below with respect to trenching and drilling asspecific examples may also perform other excavation routines including,but not limited to, digging, grading, filling, trenching, compacting,aerating, ripping, stripping, spreading, and smoothing.

IV. Earth Removal Routine

IV.A Overview

FIG. 6 illustrates an example coordinate space in which an excavationvehicle carries out an excavation routine in a dig site 610, accordingto an embodiment. FIG. 6 may be a visual representation of thecoordinate space from a digital file detailing the excavation routine.In this example, the excavation vehicle executes an excavation routineto remove earth from a location within the site to create a trenchbeneath the ground surface of the location. In the digital file, thesite 610 is represented as bounded by a site boundary. The digital filefurther includes data describing the location of a trench 620 and a dumppile 630. The trench 620 refers to the location from which theexcavation tool removes earth such that the trench 620 lies at a depthbelow the ground surface. In some implementations, trench may bedesigned with a uniform depth across the entire length of the trench. Inthe illustrated implementation, the trench 620 is excavated to describedifferent depths at different sections of the trench 620, for example agradual slope from the ground surface to the bottom of the trench 620.Accordingly, the regions near the ends of the trench 620 are associatedwith a first depth 640 while the region in the middle of the trench 620is associated with a second depth 650 greater than the first depth 640.As described herein, earth refers to the ground material and compositionof a site, for example, soil, dirt, and gravel.

A trenching excavation vehicle 115 may be implemented to remove earthfrom a location to design a trench or to break up earth and removeobstacles beneath the ground to allow the excavation vehicle 115 or adifferent excavation vehicle 115 to remove earth from the location. Ineither implementation, earth removed from the trench is deposited at alocation within the site referred to as the dump pile 630. The dump pile630 refers to a location within the site where the excavation vehicle115 releases excavated earth held in the tool. Depending on the type ofexcavation vehicle 115, the dump pile may be located at a specific pointalong the trench. When using these types of excavation vehicle 115, forexample hydraulic excavators or backhoes, the excavation vehicle 115collects a threshold amount of earth from the trench 620, navigates tothe dump pile 630, and releases earth from the tool onto the dump pile630. For alternate types of excavation vehicles 115, for example buckettrenchers, chain trenchers, rockwheels, or trenchers of any othervariety, the dump pile 630 may run parallel to the length of the trench620, so that the excavation vehicle 115 simultaneously excavates theearth from the trench 620 and deposits that earth at the dump pile 630.The excavation vehicle 115 may excavate and deposit earth continuously,without interrupting the movement of the excavation tool, whilenavigating over target tool paths until the trench has been completed.

Walking through an example hypothetical excavation routine for purposeof discussing the concepts introduced in FIG. 6 , in one such routinethe excavation vehicle 115 enters the site 610 and navigates 652 to astarting location. At the starting location, the excavation vehicle 115positions 654 the tool beneath the ground surface of the startingposition and moves 656 along the prescribed coordinates of the targettool path. At a position in which the first depth 640 transitions to thesecond depth 650, the excavation vehicle 115 adjusts the position of thetool to a greater depth below the surface before proceeding along thetarget tool path. Conversely, at the position in which the second depth650 transitions to the first depth 640, the excavation vehicle 115raises the position of the tool to be smaller depth below the surfacebefore proceeding along the target tool path to complete the excavationof the trench 620.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the system architecture for the earth removalmodule 430 of an excavation vehicle 115, according to an embodiment. Theearth removal module is implemented by a software within the on-unitcomputer 120 a and is executed by providing inputs to the controller 150to control the control input of the vehicle 115 such as the joystick.The system architecture of the earth removal module 430 comprises adepth measurement module 710, a hydraulic distribution module 720, adrilling module 730, and a trenching module 740. In other embodiments,the control logic 400 may include more or fewer modules. Functionalityindicated as being performed by a particular module may be performed byother modules instead.

The depth measurement module 710 receives measurements describing thedepth of the tool within the excavated trench from various sensorsmounted to the excavation vehicle and updates virtual representations ofthe excavation vehicle 115 within the site. The depth measurement moduleidentifies and analyzes the position of tool beneath the ground surface.In implementations, in which the excavation routine constructs a trenchwithin a site, the excavation machine 115 is a trencher or an alternatevehicle 115 outfitted with trenching or drilling tool, for example anauger, rockwheel, or digging chain. Similarly, in implementations inwhich excavation vehicle 115 constructs a hole penetrating the groundsurface, the excavation vehicle 115 may be outfitted with a drillingtool, for example an auger. In such excavation vehicles 115, the toolmakes contact with the surface of the earth at a leading point of thetool. The depth measurement module 710 receives data describing theabsolute of the leading point of the tool at depths above or below theground surface of the site. As referred to hereafter, an absoluteposition describes an exact position and orientation of an object in athree-dimensional coordinate space. Comparatively, a relative positiondescribes a position or orientation of an object in relation to theabsolute position of another object, for example the ground surface ofearth at a location.

To determine the position of the leading point of the tool beneath theground surface, the depth measurement module 710 tracks the relativeposition of the tool within the coordinate space of the site using oneor more of the following: a measurement of the absolute position of theexcavation vehicle within the coordinate space of the site taken by aglobal positioning sensor mounted to the vehicle 115, often referred toas the robot baselink, a measurement of the height of the tool relativeto the ground surface determined using forward kinematic analysis, and ameasurement of the relative position of the leading point of the toolwithin the coordinate space taken using a position sensor mounted to thetool. The relative position of the leading point of the tool describesthe orientation of the tool relative to the ground surface. The depthmeasurement module 710 receives all three measurements (i.e., the robotbaselink, the height of the tool relative to the ground surface, and theorientation of the leading point relative to the ground surface) andconverts the accessed measurements into an absolute position of theleading point of the tool within the virtual representation. The lookuptable correlates the aforementioned measurements with an absoluteposition of the leading point of tool.

In one implementation, the depth measurement module 710 accesses alookup table stored in the computer memory of computer 120. Lookuptables are generated by measuring the outputs of the sensors, or variousmeasurements, at various positions and orientations of the excavationvehicle 115 and the tool, and correlating the outputs of the sensorswith the position of the leading point of the tool. For example, at arobot baselink of 5 meters away from an entry ramp to the site and 5meters from the parallel site boundary, a tool height of 2 meters belowthe ground surface, and a tool orientation of 45 degrees relative to theground surface, the lookup table may indicate an absolute position andorientation of the leading point of the tool beneath the ground surfaceof the site. The referenced lookup table may differ depending on thetype of sensor used and the format of the output provided.

The hydraulic distribution module 720 monitors and adjusts thedistribution of hydraulic pressure from the engine that is allocatedbetween the drive system 210 and tool 175. The hydraulic distributionmodule 720 does this in response to instructions from another module(such as the trenching module 740 as described below) attempting tocarry out the excavation routine, as control of the hydraulic pressuredictates the actuation of the tool 175 and movement of the vehicle 115.In practice, the trenching module 740, for example, may specify somedevice parameter to be maintains, such as the tool 175 breakout angle,and the hydraulic distribution module 720 sets the hydraulicdistribution between the tool 175 and drive system 210 to maintain thatbreakout angle.

Often, the excavation vehicle only has sufficient hydraulic pressure topower a single system at full capacity. As a result, both the drive andtool systems may be powered equivalently at half capacity. However, if,based on soil friction, forces, speeds, tool angles, or otherconditions, the angle and depth of the tool cannot be maintained at halfcapacity, the hydraulic distribution module 720 may redistribute thehydraulic pressure within the system to favor the tool over the drivesystem (e.g., 75%-25% distribution, or otherwise). The calibration forthe hydraulic system may be performed by observing joystickmanipulations within the excavation vehicle and recording the changes inpressure distribution.

In moving the tool through the target tool path, the hydraulicdistribution module 720 measures the speed of the tool and compares itto a target speed. The target speed refers to the speed that the drivesystem 210 is traveling. This may be calculated based on the knowledgeof the earth of the site exhibiting an industry standard soil frictionor a soil friction determined specifically for the excavation vehicle115, site, or even specific target tool path being executed. If themeasured speed is lower than the target speed, the hydraulicdistribution module 720 may determine that the soil friction (or forceof soil exerted on the tool) is greater than expected, and adjusts thedistribution of hydraulic pressure between the drive system and the toolto favor the tool to increase the speed of the tool. While this may beaccomplished in some instances by increasing the amount of hydraulicpressure capacity allocated to the drive system, the amount of hydrauliccapacity available is finite and so this is not always a viablesolution. Often, greater than expected soil friction is due to the toolbeing too deep (or angled along a path proceeding downward), thusgenerating more friction and often causing the tool to fall off thetarget tool path. To compensate, the hydraulic distribution module 720may adjust the tool to a shallower depth or angle, which will accomplishreducing the soil friction and raising tool speed. This process may playout in reverse for a tool speed greater than expected, which may beadjusted by lowering the tool or setting it at a deeper angle.

The maintenance of the hydraulic capacity in this manner and asdescribed elsewhere herein prevents the excavation from stalling duringthe excavation routine or from complications regarding raising theexcavation tool above the ground surface. In one embodiment, to furthermaintain sufficient hydraulic capacity for it to be possible to makeadjustments to the position and orientation of the tool during theexcavation routine, the hydraulic distribution module 720 maintainshydraulic pressure within the hydraulic system below a threshold 90% ofthe maximum hydraulic pressure capacity.

A breakout event and corresponding breakout angle may be recorded as aresult of the tool naturally breaking through the ground surface duringthe excavation routine. At speeds below the target speed and/or atforces above the threshold force, the tool is unable to collect earthand break out of the ground surface. Similarly, at speeds above thetarget speed and forces below the threshold force, the toolinefficiently collects earth. As referenced above, forces refer to theforces exerted by the earth on the tool. Breakouts and the speeds andforces that cause them are addressed by module 720 to resume excavatingearth if they do occur and hopefully reduce their occurrence overall.This may involve the hydraulic distribution module 720 measuring theforce of earth on the tool and adjusting the distribution of pressure sothat the tool angle has sufficient hydraulic pressure to be adjustedbeneath the ground surface. The tool may be lowered or angled downwardto dig more deeply in cases of high speed/low force, and angledupward/raised to dig more shallowly in cases of low speed/high force.Additionally, as the tool moves through the target tool path andcollects earth, the excavation vehicle may continuously adjust the angleof the tool and if the tool eventually breaks out of the ground surface,the excavation vehicle 115 records the breakout angle and mayvoluntarily opt to execute the volume check routine rather than resumingdigging.

Additionally, the hydraulic distribution module 720 may use the receivedset of instructions to maintain the hydraulic capacity of the hydraulicsystem and decrease the target speed of the drive system 210 byadjusting the distribution of hydraulic pressures. A decrease in targetspeed results in a reduction of the overall hydraulic pressure in thehydraulic system, thereby ensuring sufficient scope in the hydraulicsystem to adjust the position and orientation of the tool and withminimal delay during the excavation routine. For example, if thehydraulic pressure within the system is 98% of the maximum hydraulicpressure, exceeding the threshold hydraulic pressure, the hydraulicdistribution module 720 can reduce the target speed of the excavationvehicle 115 by dynamically executing instructions to divert hydraulicpressure from the drivetrain to the set of tool actuators. Byredistributing hydraulic pressure away from the certain components ofengine system and towards other components of the engine system, thehydraulic distribution module 720 can prioritize certain excavationfunctions and maintain high excavation efficiency by the tool andexcavation vehicle 115.

IV.B Drilling Routine

Continuing from FIG. 7A, the earth removal module 430 further comprisesa drilling module 730. The drilling module 730 generates a set ofinstructions to be executed by the excavation vehicle 115 in order todig earth from a location within a site to drill a hole beneath theground surface. Functionally, excavating earth to drill a hole requiresadjusting the position of the leading point of the tool to a depth and,in some implementations, navigating the tool over a linear, verticaldistance before readjusting the position of the excavation tool relativeto the ground surface. As described above, depending on the dimensionsand geometric requirements of the hole, a drilling routine may beexecuted using a load excavator tool mounted to an excavation vehicle ora drilling-specific vehicle, for example an auger or digging chain.

The drilling module 730 receives a target tool path describing thecoordinates of the coordinate space through which the hole extends and atarget depth for each coordinate through which the coordinate spaceextends. In some implementations, the drilling routine may requiremultiple target tool paths to excavate earth from the hole. For example,if the digital file calls for a hole 12 meters deep, but the toolmounted to the excavation vehicle is only capable of extending 6 metersbelow the ground surface, two target tool paths may be required. Thefirst target tool path instructs the excavation vehicle 115 to excavateearth from the hole to a uniform depth of 6 meters. At the conclusion ofthe first target tool path, the second target tool path instructs theexcavation vehicle 115 to navigate to the surface of the trench now 6meters below the ground surface and excavate the remaining 6 meters bynavigating over the remaining coordinates of the digital file.Alternatively, the digital file may prescribe a hole with dimensions toowide to be excavated using a single target tool path. More specifically,the width of the tool relative to the target diameter of the hole mayrequire that the excavation vehicle 115 divide the area over which thehole is to be excavated into multiple holes tangent to each other, suchthat when the drilling routine is completed the multiple holes collapseinto a larger hole. In implementations requiring multiple target toolpaths to complete a drilling routine, the drilling modules accessesmultiple target tool paths, each comprising a set of coordinates withinthe coordinate space describing a geometry of the earth to be excavated.The geometry of the excavated earth for one target tool path may becharacterized by a different target depth than the remaining accessedtarget tool paths.

In alternate implementations, the drilling module 730 may not receive atarget tool path describing instructions for drilling a hole. Instead,the drilling module 730 receive a target depth below the ground surfacefor the hole. The drilling module 730 instructs the excavation vehicleto begin excavating earth from the hole. As the excavation vehicle 115removes earth from the hole, measurement sensors 125 and spatial sensors130 record the depth of the hole and communicates the recorded hole tothe drilling module 730. The drilling module 730 compares the recordeddepth with the target depth and, if the recorded depth is below thetarget depth, the excavation vehicle 115 continues to drill the hole. Ifthe recorded depth equals the target depth the, the excavation vehicle115 halts the drilling of the hole. If the recorded depth is greaterthan the target depth, the excavation vehicle 115 halts the drilling ofthe hole and deposits earth into the hole to raise the depth of the holeto match the target depth. In some embodiments, the excavation vehicle115 excavates the earth from the hole to achieve the target depth inincrements below the ground surface.

Based on the instructions generated by the drilling module 730, theexcavation vehicle 115 adjusts the distribution of hydraulic pressure tothe drivetrain 210 to navigate to the starting point of the target toolpath, represented as a coordinate within the coordinate spacerepresenting the site. At the start position, the drilling module 730instructs the hydraulic distribution module 720 to adjust thedistribution of hydraulic pressure to move and maintain the leadingpoint of the tool below the ground surface of the start location. Thedepth below the ground surface to which the tool is moved is receivedfrom a target tool path. In order to improve the structural integrity ofthe hole, the excavation vehicle 115 maintains the leading point of theexcavation tool at a fixed angle, for example perpendicular to theground surface, as it penetrates the ground surface to achieve thetarget depth.

The drilling module 730 may generate instructions to adjust the angle ofthe tool beneath the surface, for example detecting an obstacle or achange in the density of the earth. In one implementation, the drillingmodule 730 measures a force of earth beneath the ground surface of thetool using a kinematic measurement. When the measured force exceeds athreshold force, the drilling module 730 instructs the hydraulicdistribution module 720 to adjust the angle of the tool beneath theground surface to reduce the force exerted on the tool and continue thedrilling routine. Alternatively, the drilling module 730 may instructthe hydraulic distribution module 720 to raise the tool above the groundsurface before adjusting the angle of the leading point of the tool.

In some implementations, the tool of the excavation vehicle 115encounters an obstacle beneath the ground surface. An obstacle refers toa structure or material beneath the ground surface which would hinderthe adjustment of the excavation tool to the target depth and preventsthe excavation tool from excavating earth from the hole, for exampletrees, pylons, rocks, roots, wooden beans, fire hydrants, curbs, piecesof concrete, utilities, asphalt, and steel. The drilling module 730receives data from imaging sensors 135 mounted to the excavation vehicle115, for example a LIDAR sensor, identifying an obstacle beneath theground surface. In some implementations, the obstacle analysis moduleperforms a computer vision-based object classification module usingtraditional computer vision techniques or a previously trained neuralnetwork. The drilling module 730 generates and delivers a set ofinstructions to the excavation vehicle 115 describing the identificationinformation describing the one or more physical characteristics of theobstacle derived from the image data recorded by the imaging sensors135.

Obstacles encountered below the ground surface may be categorized intotwo categories of obstacles depending on the structural properties orprotocols executed to remove the obstacle: modifiable obstacles andimmutable obstacles. Immutable obstacles describe obstacles throughwhich the excavation tool may not break through. When encountering animmutable obstacle, the excavation tool may adjust the position of thetool above the ground surface and reposition the excavation tool beneaththe ground surface to drill the hole and avoid the immutable obstaclebeneath the ground surface.

Unlike immutable obstacles, modifiable obstacles describe obstacleswhich the excavation tool may break through by adjusting the position ofthe excavation tool. To remove a modifiable obstacle, the excavationvehicle 115 positions the leading edge of the tool at a first positionabove the surface of the starting location and adjusts the position ofthe tool beneath the ground surface over the target tool path. Uponencountering an obstacle along the coordinates of the target tool path,the excavation vehicle 115 halts the navigation of the excavation toolat a second position in contact with the obstacle. In oneimplementation, the drilling module 730 instructs the excavation vehicle115 to oscillate the position of the excavation tool between the firstposition and the second position beneath the ground surface until thesurface of the obstacle in the contact with the tool has been removed.Larger obstacles may require repetitions of such oscillations at aplurality of second positions of increasing depths. For example anobstacle that is 2 meters deep encountered at a depth of 4 meters belowthe ground surface may require three oscillation routines to remove: afirst oscillation between the first position and a second position at adepth of 4 meters (in contact with the surface of the obstacle), asecond oscillation between the first position and an updated secondposition at a depth of 5 meters (in contact with the mid-section of theobstacle exposed after the initial surface of the obstacle has beenremoved), and a third oscillation between the first position and anupdated third position at a depth of 6 meters (in contact with theunderside of the obstacle exposed after the mid-section surface of theobstacle has been removed.

In some implementations, the drilling module 730 may instruct theexcavation vehicle 115 to oscillate the tool between a first positionand a second position even when an obstacle is not present. In suchimplementations, the excavation vehicle 115 may oscillate the tool torefine the interior edges of the tool or to navigate the tool throughdenser or firmer earth material towards the target depth. Additionally,in some implementations, the drilling module may activate an alternativetool, for example an auger, to oscillate between the first position anda plurality of depths within the hole.

To measure the depth of hole and to compare the depth of the hole to thetarget depth, the drilling module 730 receives a measurement of theabsolute position of the tool from a global positioning sensor mountedto the leading point of the tool. The excavation vehicle may alsoinclude an incline sensor mounted to the arm of excavation toolresponsible for adjusting the position of the tool, such that theposition of the arm correlates to the position of the tool. For example,a measurement indicating that the arm is parallel to the ground surfaceof the site may indicate that the tool is perpendicular to the groundsurface or a measurement that the arm is perpendicular to the groundsurface of the site may indicate that the tool is parallel to the groundsurface.

In alternate implementations, the excavation vehicle 115 measures thedepth of the hole by determining the absolute position of the tool usingforward kinematic analyses of the tool consistent with the descriptionabove. The drilling module 730 compares the measurement of the absoluteposition of the tool with the target depth as defined by the target toolpath. If the absolute position and the target depth are within athreshold distance of each other, the drilling module 730 may instructthe excavation vehicle to execute the subsequent target tool path,whether that be an additional set of drilling instructions orinstructions for the excavation vehicle 115 to navigate to anotherlocation within the site. Upon determining that the absolute position ofthe leading point of the tool matches the target depth of the hole or iswithin a threshold distance of the target depth of the hole, thedrilling module 730 may instruct the excavation vehicle to adjust theposition of the tool to be above the ground surface thereby concludingthe drilling routine.

If the absolute position and the target depth are above a thresholddistance of each other, the drilling module 730 may instruct theexcavation vehicle to reposition the leading point of the excavationtool above the ground surface of the start location and repeat theexecution of the target tool path. In some implementations, as the toolis moved over a target tool path, soil friction, soil density, or soilcomposition factors may result in the tool deviating from the targettool path, potentially causing the difference between the actualposition of the tool and the target depth, to create an actual tool paththat was travelled by the tool. Because of the deviation between thetarget tool path and the actual tool path, the actual tool path isassociated with a different set of coordinates within the coordinatespaces than those associated with the target tool path. In oneimplementation, the drilling module 730 repeats the same target toolpath until the deviation between the target tool path and the actualtool path is less than a threshold deviation, or until some otheroutcome is achieved, such as a threshold amount of earth is removed.

The drilling module 730 may determine the volume of earth excavated fromthe hole as a function of the diameter or the radius of the hole anddepth of the leading point of the tool, assuming that the hole resemblesa circle. When the hole does not resemble a circle, the drilling module730 may determine the volume of earth excavated from the hole based ondepth, width, and length dimensions of the hole. The drilling module 730may also use spatial, measurement, or imaging sensors mounted to theexcavation vehicle 115 to measure the amount of earth excavated from thehole and deposited at the dump pile. In some implementations, thedrilling module 730 may also determine the swell factor of earth withinthe site by comparing the difference in volume of earth deposited at thedump pile to the available volume of the excavated trench.

IV.B Trenching Routine

FIG. 7A further comprises a trenching module 740 which generates a setof instructions to excavate earth from a trench as described inreference to FIG. 6 . Functionally, trenching routines as generated bythe trenching module 740 are similar to the drilling routines generatedby the drilling module 730. The trenching module 740 incorporates all ofthe aforementioned techniques discussed in reference to the drillingmodule, for example determining the absolute position of the leadingpoint of the tool beneath the ground surface and positioned the toolbeneath the ground surface. Unlike drilling routines in which theexcavation vehicle 115 navigates to a start position and holds thatposition while drilling the hole, trenching routines generally specifythat the excavation vehicle 115 to first navigate to a start position,adjust the position of the tool to a target depth below the groundsurface, and navigate the excavation vehicle from the start position toan end position located a distance away over a linear path beforereadjusting the position of the excavation tool relative the groundsurface. Depending on the dimensions and geometric requirements of thetrench, a trenching routine may be executed using a load excavator toolmounted to an excavation vehicle or a trenching-specific vehicle, forexample a rockwheel or digging chain.

The trenching module 740 receives a target tool path describing thecoordinates of the coordinate space through which the trench extends anda target depth for each coordinate through which the coordinate spaceextends. In some implementations, the trenching routine may requiremultiple target tool paths to excavate earth from the trench. Forexample, if the digital file calls for a trench 12 meters deep, but thetool mounted to the excavation vehicle is only capable of extending 6meters below the ground surface, two target tool paths may be required.The first target tool path instructs the excavation vehicle 115 toexcavate earth from the trench to a uniform depth of 6 meters and, atthe conclusion of the first target tool path, the second target toolpath instructs the excavation vehicle 115 to excavate the remaining 6meters by navigating over the same coordinates as the first target toolpath. Alternatively, the digital file may prescribe a trench withdimensions too wide to be excavated using a single target tool path.More specifically, the width of the tool relative to the target width ofthe trench may require that the excavation vehicle 115 divide the areaover which the trench is to be excavated into multiple parallel stripsrepresenting separate target tool paths.

In alternate implementations, the trenching module 740 may not receive atarget tool path describing instructions for generating the trench.Instead, the trenching module 740 receive a representative line alongwhich a trench should be excavated and a target depth below the groundsurface for that trench. The trenching module 740 instructs theexcavation vehicle to begin excavating earth along the representativeline. As the excavation vehicle 740 removes earth from the trench,measurement sensors 125 and spatial sensors 130 record the depth of thetrench and communicate the recorded depth to the trenching module 740.The trenching module 740 compares the recorded depth with the targetdepth and, if the recorded depth is below the target depth, theexcavation vehicle 115 continues to excavate the trench. If the recordeddepth equals the target depth, the excavation vehicle 115 halts theexcavation of the trench. If the recorded depth is greater than thetarget depth, the excavation vehicle 115 halts the excavation of thetrench and deposits earth into the trench to raise the depth of thetrench to match the target depth. In some embodiments, the excavationvehicle 115 excavates the earth from the trench to achieve the targetdepth in segments along the representative line, whereas in otherembodiments, the vehicle 115 excavates the earth from trench to achievethe target depth in a continuous movement over the representative line.

Based on the instructions generated by the trenching module 740, theexcavation vehicle 115 adjusts the distribution of hydraulic pressure tothe drivetrain 210 to navigate to the starting point of the target toolpath, represented as a coordinate within the coordinate spacerepresenting the site. At the start position, the trenching module 740instructs the hydraulic distribution module 720 to adjust thedistribution of hydraulic pressure to move and maintain the leadingpoint of the tool below the ground surface of the start location. Thedepth below the ground surface to which the tool is moved is receivedfrom a target tool path which the excavation vehicle 115 is to follow.In order to improve the structural integrity of the trench, theexcavation vehicle 115 maintains the leading point of the excavationtool at a fixed angle as it penetrates the ground surface to achieve thetarget depth. For example, a target tool path prescribes an angle ofentry for the leading point of the tool at the start location to be 45°.The leading point of the tool penetrates to a target depth of 6 metersbelow the ground surface while maintaining a 45° angle. Resultantly,once completed, the end of the trench including the starting locationexhibits a ramp to the bottom of the trench at a 45° angle.

In implementations in which an excavator (i.e., a load excavator)excavates a trench, the excavation tool is an instrument for collectingdirt, such as a bucket or a shovel mounted to a multi-element arm thatadjusts the position and orientation of the tool. Compared to toolsmounted to conventional trenching-specific vehicles, for example arockwheel or digging chain, a tool mounted to an excavator may beinstructed to refine an excavated trench following the excavation of thetrench. The trenching module 740 may generate instructions forexcavating earth from the trench by causing a load excavator to adjustthe distribution of hydraulic pressure to lower the leading edge of thetool below the ground surface and raise the leading edge above theground surface. In such embodiments, the dimensions of the trench may becorrelated with dimension of the excavation tool. For example, for abucket or shovel mounted to the excavator has a width of 6 meters, thetarget tool path may represent a trench with a width of at least 6meters to accommodate the width of the tool. In another example in whichthe bucket or shovel mounted to the excavator has a width of 6 metersand a target tool path describes a trench with a width of 5 meters, thetrenching module 740 may instruct the excavator to excavate earth from atrench at least 6 meters. After completing that excavation routine, thetrenching module 740 may instruct the excavator or an alternateexcavation vehicle to refill the sides of the trench using earthdeposited in a dump pile to achieve the target with of 5 meters.

After the excavation of a trench, the trenching module 740 may generateinstructions for a load excavator to adjust the hydraulic pressure toactuate the tool to refine various edges of the trench. The trenchingmodule 740 may adjust the distribution of hydraulic pressure throughoutthe elements of the arm to hold the position and orientation of theexcavator tool steady. Held at the fixed position and orientation, theback of the excavator tool may be navigated across a floor of the trenchto smooth the surface of the floor. Similarly, the excavator tool may beheld at other orientations of positions to smooth or refine otheraspects of the excavated trench including the side walls of the trench,the perimeter of the top of the trench, and the top of the trench.

More information regarding the excavation of earth using a loadexcavator can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/877,217,filed Jan. 22, 2018, and International Application No.PCT/US2018/014727, filed Jan. 22, 2018, both of which are incorporatedby reference herein in their entirety.

The trenching module 740 may generate instructions to adjust the angleof the tool beneath the surface, for example detecting an obstacle or achange in the density of the earth. The trenching module 740 may receivedata recorded by an imaging sensor 135, for example, LIDAR sensor,identifying an obstacle beneath the ground surface. In anotherimplementation, the trenching module 740 measures a force of earthbeneath the ground surface of the tool using a kinematic measurement.When the measured force exceeds a threshold force, the trenching module740 instructs the hydraulic distribution module 720 to adjust the angleof the tool beneath the ground surface to reduce the force exerted onthe tool and continue the trenching routine. Alternatively, thetrenching module 740 may instruct the hydraulic distribution module 720to raise the tool above the ground surface before adjusting the angle ofthe leading point of the tool. Trenching routines, depending on theimplementation, may require that the trench be excavated at varyingdepths. For example, wastewater management concerns require trenches beconstructed at uniform depths throughout the entirety of the trench,whereas trenches built around buildings require varying depths throughthe trench to improve structural integrity. Additionally, the trenchingmodule 740 may generate instructions for the detection and removal ofobstacles beneath the ground surface consistent with the descriptionprovided above with reference to the drilling module 730.

Similar to the description provided in reference to the drilling module730, the trenching module 740 may determine that the current depth,length or width of the trench does not equal the target dimensions ofthe trench by comparing the actual tool path of the tool and vehicle 115with the target tool path. If the difference between any one dimensionof the actual tool path and the target tool path exceeds a thresholddifference, the trenching module 740 instructs the excavation vehicle115 to repeat the target tool path one or more times until thedifference between each dimension of the actual tool path and the targettool path are within a threshold difference.

After the trenching module 740 determines that the absolute position ofthe tool matches the target depth of the trench or is within a thresholddistance of the target depth of the trench, the excavation vehicle 115navigates forward over the target tool path to form the long-axis of thetrench. In some implementations, after traversing the distance of thetarget tool path, the excavation vehicle 115 may execute a second targettool path to complete the excavation of the trench, for example bywidening or deepening the trench. When widening the trench, subsequenttarget tool paths align adjacently to the first target tool path suchthat subsequent tool paths increase the width of the trench from theinitial width excavated based on the first target tool path.

Periodically during the trenching routine or at the conclusion of thetrenching routine, the trenching module 740 may determine the volume ofearth excavated from the hole as a function of the diameter of the depthof the leading point of the tool, the distance of traversed by the tool,and a width of the excavated area. Each of these measurements may berecorded using measurement or spatial sensors mounted to the excavationvehicle 115. The trenching module 740 may also use spatial, measurement,or imaging sensors mounted to the excavation vehicle 115 to measure theamount of earth excavated from the hole and deposited at the dump pile.In implementations involving a load excavator tool or a functionallysimilar tool mounted to the excavation vehicle 115, the trenchingroutine includes a set of instructions to determine the fill level ofthe tool using measurement or spatial sensors. If the measurement ofearth in the tool exceeds a threshold measurement, the trenching module740 may instruct the excavation vehicle 115 to adjust the position ofthe tool above the ground surface and navigate to a dump pile to releasethe earth. Once the tool has been emptied, the excavation vehicle 115returns to the most recent coordinate of the target tool path andcontinues to execute the target tool path.

After excavating the trench, the trenching module 740 may receive datafrom an imaging sensor 135, for example a LIDAR or vision sensor system,detecting loose earth at the floor of the trench, around the perimeterof the trench, or in the side walls of the trench. To compact the looseearth into the walls or floor of the trench or to remove the loose earthfrom the trench, the excavation vehicle 115 may either excavate theearth using an excavation tool mounted to the trenching vehicle or maycall an additional excavation vehicle, for example a load excavator, toremove and deposit the earth at a dump pile.

III.B Process for Excavating Earth to Form a Trench

To implement the system architecture of the earth removal module 430,FIG. 7B shows an example flow chart describing the process for removingearth to form a trench, according to an embodiment. The trenching module740 (or in implementations in which a hole is being excavated beneaththe ground surface, the drilling module 730) accesses 750 a target toolpath describing the coordinates over which the excavation vehicle andthe excavation tool are to navigate to excavate the trench. Theexcavation vehicle 115 navigates 755 to a starting location of the toolpath which represents the first location at which the trench is to beexcavated. the starting point may also be thought of as the first pointfrom which the trench originates. The excavation vehicle 115 positions760 the tool below the ground surface of the excavation vehicle 115using the techniques described above to excavate earth from the trench.Simultaneous with the positioning of the tool below the ground surface,the sensors mounted to the excavation vehicle 115 measure 765 the depthof the trench and transmit the measurement for the trenching module 740to compare to the target depth of the target tool path. Afterdetermining that the measured depth of the trench is approximatelyequivalent to the target depth, the excavation vehicle 115 moves 770 thetool forward over the target tool path to generate the length dimensionof the trench. Depending on the geometric requirements of the trench andthe number of target tool paths required to accomplish that geometry,the above described process may be repeated for multiple target toolpaths.

In some implementations, the trenching module 740 may generateinstructions for the excavation vehicle 115 to excavate a trench ofvarying depths. The instructions for excavating earth from such a trenchmay be generated by the trenching module 740 as instructions forexcavating three separate trenches. For example, a target tool path fora trench 15 meters long may include instructions to generate a firsttrench 5 meters long at a first depth, a second trench 5 meters long ata second depth, and a third trench 5 meters long at a third depth. Theexcavation vehicle 115 may excavate earth from over the first 5-meterdistance to achieve at the first depth. At the end of the first trench,the excavation vehicle 115 adjusts the excavation tool to an orientationand position capable of excavating earth at the second depth. Theexcavation vehicle 115 may excavate earth over the next 5-meter distanceto achieve the second depth. At the end of the second trench, theexcavation vehicle 115 again adjusts the excavation tool to anorientation and position capable of excavating earth at the third depthand navigates over the final 5 meters do excavate the third trench.

As another example, the trenching module 740 may generate two sets ofinstructions for excavating two trenches at the same depth. In such anembodiment, the excavation vehicle 115 may execute a target tool path toexcavate a first trench before navigating to the start point of thesecond trench and executing the target tool path for the second trench.In implementations in which two trenches intersect (i.e., the end pointof the first trench is a start point of the second trench), theexcavation vehicle 115 may conclude the first target tool path andimmediately transition to execute the second target tool path.

In more complex implementations, the earth removal module 430 maygenerate instructions to excavate a trench in combination withinstructions for an alternate excavation routine generated by the earthremoval module 430. For example, a target tool path or digital file mayinclude instructions for excavating a trench with a drilled hole at oneend. The earth removal module 430 may generate two sets of target toolpaths: one for excavating the trench and a second for excavating thedrill. Both tool paths may be executed by a single excavation vehicleoutfitted with excavation tools capable of executing both tasks or byseparate vehicles, for example a trencher and an auger, operatingcooperatively. In another implementation, the earth removal module 430may generate instructions to excavate a trench with an excavationfeature, for example a drilled hole, in the middle of the trench. Insuch an embodiment, an excavation vehicle 115 or combination of vehicles115 may halt the execution of a tool path for excavating the trench andtransition to execute a tool path for drilling the hole. After the holehas been drilled, the excavation vehicle(s) 115 resume executing thetarget tool path for excavating the trench. In addition to the examplesdescribed above, instructions for executing a trench may be combined, asa single tool path or separate tool paths, with instructions for otherexcavation routines, for example earth moving, grading, filling,obstacle removal, or any other excavation routines.

Alternatively, the instructions for excavating earth from the trench inthe above example may be generated by the trenching module 740 asinstructions for excavating three separate trenches.

VI. Additional Considerations

It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the presentdisclosure have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevantfor a clear understanding of the present disclosure, while eliminating,for the purpose of clarity, many other elements found in a typicalsystem. Those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that otherelements and/or steps are desirable and/or required in implementing thepresent disclosure. However, because such elements and steps are wellknown in the art, and because they do not facilitate a betterunderstanding of the present disclosure, a discussion of such elementsand steps is not provided herein. The disclosure herein is directed toall such variations and modifications to such elements and methods knownto those skilled in the art.

Some portions of above description describe the embodiments in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information.These algorithmic descriptions and representations are commonly used bythose skilled in the data processing arts to convey the substance oftheir work effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations,while described functionally, computationally, or logically, areunderstood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalentelectrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has alsoproven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of operationsas modules, without loss of generality. The described operations andtheir associated modules may be embodied in software, firmware,hardware, or any combinations thereof.

As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in variousplaces in the specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary,“or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example,a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true(or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or notpresent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (orpresent).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elementsand components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely forconvenience and to give a general sense of the invention. Thisdescription should be read to include one or at least one and thesingular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meantotherwise.

While particular embodiments and applications have been illustrated anddescribed, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are notlimited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein.Various modifications, changes and variations, which will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, may be made in the arrangement, operation anddetails of the method and apparatus disclosed herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: accessing, by an autonomousconstruction vehicle, instructions identifying a plurality of startinglocations, and, for each starting location, a target depth correspondingto the starting location; autonomously moving, by the autonomousconstruction vehicle, to a first starting location; autonomouslydrilling, by the autonomous construction vehicle, a first component tothe target depth corresponding to the first starting location;autonomously moving, by the autonomous construction vehicle, to a secondstarting location; and autonomously drilling, by the autonomousconstruction vehicle, a second component to the target depthcorresponding to the second starting location.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the autonomous construction vehicle is configured to positionthe first component prior to drilling the first component by maintainingan edge of the first component at a fixed angle below a surface at thefirst starting location until a sensor of the autonomous constructionvehicle records the target depth corresponding to the first startinglocation.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the autonomous constructionvehicle is configured to determine if the first component is below thetarget depth corresponding to the first starting location and to raisethe first component in response.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theautonomous construction vehicle is configured to determine if the firstcomponent is above the target depth corresponding to the first startinglocation and to lower the first component in response.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the autonomous construction vehicle is configured toadjust an angle of the first component in response to determining if thefirst component is above the target depth corresponding to the firststarting location.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the target depthcorresponding to the first starting location is different from thetarget depth corresponding to the second starting location.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first starting location and the secondstarting location are autonomously selected by the autonomousconstruction vehicle.
 8. A non-transitory computer readable storagemedium storing instructions for excavating material at a site encodedthereon that, when executed by a processor of an autonomous constructionvehicle, cause the autonomous construction vehicle to perform stepscomprising: accessing, by the autonomous construction vehicle,instructions identifying a plurality of starting locations, and, foreach starting location, a target depth corresponding to the startinglocation; autonomously moving, by the autonomous construction vehicle,to a first starting location; autonomously drilling, by the autonomousconstruction vehicle, a first component to the target depthcorresponding to the first starting location; autonomously moving, bythe autonomous construction vehicle, to a second starting location; andautonomously drilling, by the autonomous construction vehicle, a secondcomponent to the target depth corresponding to the second startinglocation.
 9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium ofclaim 8, wherein the autonomous construction vehicle is configured toposition the first component prior to drilling the first component bymaintaining an edge of the first component at a fixed angle below asurface at the first starting location until a sensor of the autonomousconstruction vehicle records the target depth corresponding to the firststarting location.
 10. The non-transitory computer readable storagemedium of claim 8, wherein the autonomous construction vehicle isconfigured to determine if the first component is below the target depthcorresponding to the first starting location and to raise the firstcomponent in response.
 11. The non-transitory computer readable storagemedium of claim 8, wherein the autonomous construction vehicle isconfigured to determine if the first component is above the target depthcorresponding to the first starting location and to lower the firstcomponent in response.
 12. The non-transitory computer readable storagemedium of claim 11, wherein the autonomous construction vehicle isconfigured to adjust an angle of the first component in response todetermining if the first component is above the target depthcorresponding to the first starting location.
 13. The non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the target depthcorresponding to the first starting location is different from thetarget depth corresponding to the second starting location.
 14. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein thefirst starting location and the second starting location areautonomously selected by the autonomous construction vehicle.
 15. Anautonomous construction vehicle comprising: a processor; and anon-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions forexcavating material at a site encoded thereon that, when executed by aprocessor, cause the autonomous construction vehicle to perform thesteps comprising: accessing, by the autonomous construction vehicle,instructions identifying a plurality of starting locations, and, foreach starting location, a target depth corresponding to the startinglocation; autonomously moving, by the autonomous construction vehicle,to a first starting location; autonomously drilling, by the autonomousconstruction vehicle, a first component to the target depthcorresponding to the first starting location; autonomously moving, bythe autonomous construction vehicle, to a second starting location; andautonomously drilling, by the autonomous construction vehicle, a secondcomponent to the target depth corresponding to the second startinglocation.
 16. The autonomous construction vehicle of claim 15, whereinthe autonomous construction vehicle is configured to position the firstcomponent prior to drilling the first component by maintaining an edgeof the first component at a fixed angle below a surface at the firststarting location until a sensor of the autonomous construction vehiclerecords the target depth corresponding to the first starting location.17. The autonomous construction vehicle of claim 15, wherein theautonomous construction vehicle is configured to determine if the firstcomponent is below the target depth corresponding to the first startinglocation and to raise the first component in response.
 18. Theautonomous construction vehicle of claim 15, wherein the autonomousconstruction vehicle is configured to determine if the first componentis above the target depth corresponding to the first starting locationand to lower the first component in response.
 19. The autonomousconstruction vehicle of claim 18, wherein the autonomous constructionvehicle is configured to adjust an angle of the first component inresponse to determining if the first component is above the target depthcorresponding to the first starting location.
 20. The autonomousconstruction vehicle of claim 15, wherein the target depth correspondingto the first starting location is different from the target depthcorresponding to the second starting location.